OceanaGold’s (TSX: OGC) (ASX: OGC) Haile mine in South Carolina remains in operation despite the state government announcing that all “non-essential” businesses are required to shut down for 14 days, the Melbourne-based gold miner stated on Wednesday.
The Haile gold mine an open-pit operation located along the eastern coast of the state of South Carolina. The mine currently employs more than 600 people within the region and is considered the largest gold mining operation on the Atlantic coast.
The company reiterated that under state guidelines, the status of the Haile mine remained unchanged, and operations would not be impacted by this government directive. The Haile operation has strict protocols and controls in place to maintain a high standard of health and safety, it said.
For the past three weeks, the Haile operation has only permitted entry to essential employees and contractors, while all administrative staff have been working offsite where possible.
All employees and contractors entering the site undergo a health screening process, and each shift has been split into smaller groups of less than three, with physical distancing implemented within these smaller groups, allowing the company to isolate smaller teams if any member of the team exhibits symptoms or tests positive for covid-19.
Last month, OceanaGold temporarily suspended operations at its Waihi gold mine, located on the North Island of New Zealand, in response to the covid-19 measures put in place by the New Zealand government.